A twist on thin-film technology may provide a way to optically detect and analyze multiple substances simultaneously, leading to quicker diagnostics in such industries as health care and homeland security, according to Penn State researchers.

Forensics experts can't always retrieve fingerprints from objects, but a new coating process developed by Penn State professors may change that. The process reveals hard-to-develop fingerprints on nonporous surfaces without altering the chemistry of the print. A coating application suggested by Robert Shaler, founding director of the Penn State forensic science program, and Ahklesh Lakhtakia, Charles Godfrey Binder professor in engineering science and mechanics, uses the physical properties of the fingerprint, not the chemistry of the substances left behind.

CSI notwithstanding, forensics experts cannot always retrieve fingerprints from objects, but a conformal coating process developed by Penn State professors can reveal hard-to-develop fingerprints on nonporous surfaces without altering the chemistry of the print. "As prints dry or age, the common techniques used to develop latent fingerprints, such as dusting or cyanoacrylate -- SuperGlue -- fuming often fail," said Robert Shaler, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and director of Penn State's forensic sciences program.